Delhi sealing drive: BJP hits back at Arvind Kejriwal, Ajay Maken

NEW DELHI: Hitting back at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the ongoing sealing drive, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today said if the AAP dispensation is committed to find a solution, it should immediately hold a special session of the Assembly and pass a resolution.

Earlier in the day, both Kejriwal and Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken slammed the BJP for boycotting an all party-meeting called by the chief minister to discuss the sealing issue Hitting back at both parties, Tiwari said, "In the name of an all-party meeting on sealing issue, the two faces of a same coin i.e. Congress & AAP today sat together and praised each other's efforts."

"If the Kejriwal government is committed to find a solution of sealing issue, it should immediately hold a special session of Delhi Vidhan Sabha on March 15 and pass a resolution seeking moratorium (on sealing of) all commercial constructions and unauthorized colonies existing as on 31st December, 2017 and forward it to the centre government," Tiwari said in a statement.

After the all party-meeting at the CM's residence, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government would submit a survey report on 351 roads in the Supreme Court on Monday to ensure that there is no sealing on these roads in the coming days.

Reacting to the government's move, Tiwari said, "It is clearly established before the traders and people of Delhi that the Arvind Kejriwal government not only neglected its duty on protecting the traders from sealing but it also complicated the issue to an extent that Centre is also facing difficulties in bringing an end to the sealing crisis.

"According to the party, Tiwari, who is currently on a state visit abroad, had a teleconference discussion with senior Delhi BJP office bearers and trader leaders on the sealing issue.

Tiwari alleged that due to the "neglect" of previous Congress governments and the DDA, Delhi has witnessed an "unplanned" development and expansion which in 2006 resulted in the intervention of the Supreme Court followed by sealing drive.

"The then Centre and state government under the Congress working on its past strategy to suppress the issue, brought out an under developed Master Plan-2021 which though stopped the sealing at that time but soon complicated the situation to the extent that in 2017 Supreme Court actively re-intervened," he said in the statement.